No charges for man who struck veteran

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A judge has ruled that a Woburn man who struck and killed a decorated 87-year-old World War II veteran outside his Salem home last fall will not face charges.

State police had sought a complaint for negligent motor vehicle homicide against 50-year-old Apostolos Bakolas, who struck and killed Philia Verrette Sr. last October as he was outside his home raking leaves. Bakolas said he was blinded by solar glare and did not see Verrette. A clerk magistrate decided against bringing charges earlier this year and a Salem District Court judge on Monday upheld that decision.

Relatives told The Salem News that Verrette was in the second wave of troops to land in Normandy on D-Day and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, earning a Silver Star in February 1945.